Day in the Life: Ashish Mantri’s 20 Years at Dotsquares

Behind every enterprise technology story is a person deciding what to build, what to fix and who to back. In this new TechStoriess series, we step into the working day of the leaders who run the show, from first call to last thought.

We begin with Ashish Mantri, Vice President, Strategic & Operations at Dotsquares. Twenty years in the same organisation means no two days look alike. One hour it’s a client escalation, the next a new business opportunity, then a conversation with Business Analysts, Project Managers and technical teams.

In his own words, he covers what clients really need before anyone talks technology, why process alone can’t rescue a project, how he thinks about his team’s future in the age of AI, and the three questions he asks himself before the day ends.

After spending 20 years at Dotsquares, there is hardly a “typical” day for me.

My day usually starts by looking at what needs attention first is a client concern, a delivery risk, an important opportunity, or sometimes a team member who needs support and how can i do my best for them, without thinking of my benefits. this is what i am.

I work across strategy and operations, so during the same day I may move from a client discussion to a project escalation, from reviewing a new business opportunity to discussing delivery with Business Analysts, Project Managers and technical teams.

A big part of my day is about clients.

I try to understand not only what they are asking us to build, but also what is happening in their business, how can i support to generate more revenue for my clients, Where are they growing? What is changing in their industry and technologies? What pressure are they facing? Where can technology, AI, automation or a better process actually help them?

I strongly believe we should not sell technology just because we know it. First, we need to understand the real business problem, outcome.

Then comes delivery and problem-solving.

Projects do not always go exactly as planned. There can be changing requirements, budget pressure, technical challenges, missed expectations or difficult conversations. My role is often to understand both sides, find the real issue and help the team move towards a solution.

I am PMP certified, so process is important to me. But after many years of managing projects and people, I have also learned that a process alone cannot solve everything.

You need communication, ownership, common sense and sometimes the courage to have a difficult conversation.

Another important part of my day is people.

I spend time with BAs, PMs, technical leaders and other team members reviewing their approach, asking questions, giving direction and sometimes simply listening.

This part is very close to me.

Technology is changing very fast, especially with AI. Code can now be written faster, documents can be generated in seconds and many activities can be automated. But I don’t want my people to only worry about what AI may take away.

I want them to think about what they can become next.

That is why I spend time thinking about future skills AI, cloud, business knowledge, industry knowledge, solution architecture, whole ecosystem, communication and client understanding.

I also believe that whatever I have learned over the years should not remain only with me. Sharing knowledge and mentoring the next generation is becoming an important part of my journey.

At the same time, I keep learning myself in every aspect ( tech or industry )

Even after 20+ years with the same organisation, I don’t feel that experience means you know everything. In technology, the moment you stop learning, your experience can quickly become old experience.

Of course, not every day is successful.

Some days involve escalations. Some decisions don’t give the result we expected. Sometimes a team works extremely hard and the outcome still does not come.

Those are probably the days that teach me the most.

Over the years, I have realised that leadership is not only about revenue, projects, meetings or making decisions.

• Behind every project is a client who has trusted us.

• Behind every deadline is a team working to deliver it.

• And behind every employee is a career, a family and a future.
• So before I finish my day, I often find myself thinking about three things:
• Did we do the right thing for the client?

• Did I do the right thing for my team?

• What do I learn?
• And what can we do better tomorrow?
• After years, my responsibilities have changed, technology has changed and the way we work has changed.
• But one thing has not changed for me:

I am still learning, still solving problems, still working with people, and still trying to make tomorrow better than today.

Article Contributed by Ashish Mantri Vice President – Strategic & Operations Dotsquares